The Braves put rookie pitcher Max Fried on the 10-day disabled list Friday for a blister on the middle finger of his left hand, an issue that also plagued him in the minor leagues.
Fried allowed four hits, four runs and three walks with one strikeout in three innings of Wednesday’s 7-2 series-opening loss against the Brewers, the shortest of his seven career starts over two seasons.
“It’s one of those things where if he keeps pitching it’s just gonna go,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “I think if he takes the 10 days then we can stay ahead of it. Because if he keeps trying to pitch it’s just going to get worse and go. It’ll be three weeks instead of 10 days if we’re not careful.”
Right-hander Evan Phillips was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett to take his roster spot and give the Braves another bullpen arm.
Phillips pitched 2-1/3 innings Tuesday in his major league debut at Yankee Stadium and was optioned to Triple-A the next day. The Braves were able to recall him before the 10-day minimum stay in the minors because he’s replacing an injured player.
Fried felt a blister begin to form in the third inning Thursday. Snitker replaced him right away, hoping the early exit might’ve prevented the type of issue that caused the left-hander to miss significant time last season in Double-A.
After evaluating him again Friday morning, the Braves determined that Fried wouldn’t be able to make his next start and would need to avoid throwing for a period to allow the finger to heal.
“The big thing is, he’s been through it enough before, and we’ve been through it with him to know that it’s not a good thing if you keep trying to pitch through that,” Snitker said. “It’s just one of those things that you don’t pitch through, because (if you do) the skin’s going to go, then he’ll end up missing significant time.”
A consensus top-100 prospect entering the 2018 season, Fried was coming off an overwhelming performance Saturday at St. Louis, where he posted career-highs in strikeouts (11) and innings (6-2/3) while allowing no runs, four hits and three walks.
“It’s extremely frustrating,” Fried said after Thursday’s game, “because we’ve done everything (to combat the blister problem). I’ve done everything in my power to kind of prevent it with treatments and all that kind of stuff. So for it to keep coming back up, it’s frustrating. I want to be out there, I want to try to give the team the best chance to win.”
Snitker said, “He’s tried everything. He missed a lot of time last year with it. And I don’t know what the answer is. I haven’t stayed at a Holiday Inn Express enough to know what to do with it.... I’ve had guys with it before over the years and for a pitcher it’s a big deal to try to figure it out.”
The Braves have dealt with injuries to several starters in recent weeks, mostly minor issues that caused them to miss one start or push back a turn. But things are starting to add up and a weary bullpen has handled a big workload lately. Starters Sean Newcomb and Fried each lasting three or fewer innings in the past three games before Friday and Braves starters had pitched five or fewer innings in 10 of the past 15 games.
“You’ve got to battle your way through it, hope you can keep finding guys to pick up the slack, take up the starts,” Snitker said. “It’s never an easy thing when you start losing guys.”
The team has off days in its schedule Monday and Thursday and could start Mike Foltynewicz on Wednesday in what would’ve been Fried’s next turn. Foltynewicz was scheduled to make his final start before the All-Star break next Friday, but would be on regular rest if he moved that up to Wednesday.
Snitker said other others could include moving Luiz Gohara from the bullpen to make that Wednesday start; doing a “bullpen game” with several relievers splitting the duties, or calling up someone from the minors.
Prospect Kolby Allard is scheduled to start Saturday at Triple-A, so he’d need to be scratched from that start if the Braves have any intention of having him make his major league debut Wednesday.
Veteran Brandon McCarthy is on the DL with knee tendinitis and hasn’t gotten over that ailment, Snitker said, so he’s not an option for Wednesday.
